5 Tips on How to Grow Your Restaurant in 2021
Restaurants operate in a highly competitive industry. Restaurant owners need to keep up with (or better yet, outrun) the competition to grow their business.
If you’re looking for ways to grow your restaurant operations, here are four tips to help you get started.
1. Make Your Restaurant Covid-19-Friendly
The Covid-19 pandemic changed how restaurants operate. Customers and waiters now wear masks, tables are placed six feet apart, and acrylic sheets are placed at counters. Over a year has passed since the onset of the pandemic, things are gradually becoming normal again, and restaurants are starting to reopen. However, many people are still wary about going out, and establishments still need to assure customers that standard safety measures are still in place. You should try the best restaurants in Irvine!
You can encourage takeout orders by offering discounts and other perks. Other restaurants use stuffed animals or cardboard cutouts to ensure social distancing. Another way to establish trust is to inform your customers of the steps you took to provide a safe experience in your restaurant.
2. Utilize “Near Me” Queries
Did you know that the most popular “near me” search is the phrase “restaurants near me”? There are more than 6.2 million organic searches for restaurants near me every month. This means that optimizing your restaurant’s website for “near me” searches could significantly grow your business and expand your customer base.
Here’s how you can do it: list your business on Google My Business. If you have multiple restaurants in different locations, create different pages for each. Be sure that your restaurant’s names, addresses, and phone numbers are up to date and consistent throughout your business profiles.
Ask your customers to leave reviews on your social media page or website. Genuine feedback resonates well with potential customers and it also helps Google determine the best restaurants in the area, which will ultimately increase your ranking.
3. Try Influencer Marketing
Around 92% of respondents from the 2019 Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report believe that influencer marketing is effective. Working with an influencer is like working with a marketing partner. That said, you’d want to choose an influencer who shares mutual goals and interests.
If your restaurant operates locally, micro-influencers will work best for your initiatives. Look for local food bloggers with a large following (around 5,000 to 25,000) on social media channels, particularly on Instagram, where potential customers could easily see delectable pictures of the food you offer.
4. Launch Promos for Holidays, Festivals, and Even on Regular Days
Discounts, coupons, and other promos can effectively attract more customers to your restaurant and increase sales. Here are two types of promotions you can launch:
Promos on regular days. Launch promotions during regular days or slow seasons to get more customers. One of the ways you can do so is to have happy hours during the afternoons.
Promos on special events. Take advantage of local and national holidays by offering promos and discounts. Don’t hesitate to launch promos on unusual holidays like National Spaghetti Day (January 4), National Drink Wine Day (February 18), or National Eat What You Want Day (May 11). You can even make your own holidays! Both existing and potential customers will surely love this idea.
For example, On National Spaghetti Day, we’re giving a 40% discount to anyone who orders a bowl of spaghetti!
5. Ensure that You Have Enough Working Capital
Running a successful restaurant business means you have access to working capital when you need it. Poor cash flow can negatively affect your operations and can stunt your growth. Applying for restaurant business loans is one of the best ways to ensure you have the capital you need to grow your business.
There are different types of restaurant financing, but the most popular options for restaurants are business lines of credit, business term loans, and SBA loans. You can use the funds for almost any business purpose, including payroll, marketing, equipment, inventory, supplies, day-to-day expenses, and more.
The Bottom Line
The pandemic has undoubtedly caused drastic changes in the restaurant industry, which will likely endure into 2022. With the tips mentioned above, you’ll hopefully be able to adapt to these changes and continue to run a successful restaurant business in the years to come.
